Jury awards $98 million to family of Dallas man shot in his home by ex-police officer
Jury awards $98 million to family of Dallas man shot in his home by ex-police officer
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Jury awards $98 million to family of Dallas man shot in his home by ex-police officer
Summary
A jury awarded $98 million to the family of Botham Jean, a Black man fatally shot in his home in 2018 by former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger.
The jury found Guyger acted with “malice” and awarded $60 million in punitive damages and $38 million in compensatory damages.
Guyger, who was off-duty and mistook Jean’s apartment for her own, was convicted of murder in 2019 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Jean’s family called the verdict a message on racial bias and police accountability.
Who is paying the $98 million? The State of Texas / Dallas PD, or her? Because if it's her, his family is very much not likely to see $98 million awarded.
Pretty sure Texas has a cap on punitive damages at like 750k. The law explicitly disallows telling juries about this cap as well.
So no one is paying at least 59 million of it.
That cap came from AG Greg Abbott, after he received a settlement in 1984 that paid him $8.9MM.
He's an awful, awful person.
Usually in these cases it's the city's insurance.